Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
So said the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I always felt so sorry for that poor sailor. What a sad picture. But, I, alas, am awash in a sea, not of salty water, but of books. Books, books, everywhere and all my shelves did shrink. Books, books, everywhere; I don’t know what to think!
Through the years I’ve collected books, not meaning to be a collector, but simply unable to resist the allure of those tantalizing titles or the incredible knowledge or entertainment that lay within the covers. Now, I’ve come to the time when I really need to give them new homes. But, where? I’ve sent a few to my brother but only a few because he and his wife have the same book problem. I’ve mailed two packages to my Minnesota niece and expect her at any time to say, Enough! I’ve given a few children’s books to a dear little neighbor. But, it doesn’t look like I’ve made a dent in my endless sea of books.
Looking at it another way, it could be worse. It does point to an inquiring mind, doesn’t it? Perhaps a lot of trivia crammed into my noggin? Maybe it is proof of the enjoyment I’ve gotten from curling up with a good book? There are worse problems.
But, another stumbling block is what happens when I open boxes and re-discover what lies within. This book has such pertinent information. That one, I want to re-read. And, I couldn’t possibly give away these, gifts from family or friends.
There is a solution: buy more shelves. Find an empty corner or part of a wall in my house to put said shelves and stock them with the surplus books. That is the least painful way to deal with them. Ah, yes! More book shelves. Then, I wouldn’t have to make the agonizing decision of where to send my beloved old friends. Did I mention that another of my faults is procrastination?
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